The Uchiha Clan Compound, Naka Shrine.
Late at night, more than twenty figures knelt on the tatami mats inside the shrine.
Uchiha Fugaku sat at the head, his brow furrowed and his face weary.
On either side sat the only three remaining radical elders-Uchiha Yashiro, Uchiha Inabi, and Uchiha Tekka-and the clan's twenty-six remaining ninja.
Yes, only twenty-six remained.
During the coup d'état three years ago, the Uchiha had still had several hundred ninja. Now... some were dead, some wounded, and some had defected. These were all they had left.
And most of them were injured.
"Clan head, we can't put up with this anymore!"
Uchiha Yashiro spoke first, anger flashing in the eyes of the man in his fifties:
"The Hyuga Clan is going too far! The day before yesterday, two of our clansmen got into an argument with members of the Hyuga Branch Family at the training ground, and they actually dared to attack! If I hadn't arrived in time, the consequences would have been unthinkable!"
Uchiha Inabi chimed in:
"And then there's Ino-Shika-Cho. Over the past month, their shops have started refusing to sell us supplies, claiming they're 'short on stock,' only to turn around and sell to other clans!"
"They're clearly targeting us!"
Uchiha Tekka was even more direct:
"Clan head, you're too mild! I say we strike directly and kill a few of the loudest troublemakers. Then we'll see who still dares to provoke the Uchiha!"
"Enough!"
Fugaku snapped in a low voice, rubbing his brow as he said helplessly:
"Strike? With what? Including me, we have only thirty people left who can be called ninja: twelve jōnin, ten chunin, and eight genin."
"And the other clans? The Hyuga Clan has nearly forty jōnin, and Ino-Shika-Cho has over thirty combined. The Sarutobi, Utatane, Mitokado... together,